The invention relates to a mobile accommodation unit in container form. The mobile accommodation unit comprises a box-shaped main box element which has a floor element and a ceiling and normally end and side walls. The main box element may have the standardized dimensions of a conventional container, though this is not necessary, and the dimensions of the main box element may be different from the standardized container dimensions. At least one secondary box element of smaller cross sectional area is provided. In a transport state, this secondary box element is retained within said main box element. This secondary box element can be pulled out of the main box element through a lateral opening of the main box element, in order to provide an accomodation unit of enlarged space and floor area for living or working.
Accommodation units in container form can be used for various purposes. Container can easily and quickly be transported to any desired location by truck, boat, rail, helicopter, airplane or other transport means. Their capacity of quickly providing rooms make the particularly adapted for emergency missions. Container can easily be used as mobile hospital with surgery facilities or as control center for catastrophe or emergency missions. They may also be used, for example, as a command center for military missions. Other applications are work rooms on construction sites, temporary classrooms or simply rooms to live in.
In order to be able to transport containers with conventional transport equipment, the containers are usually made with standardized dimensions. Often, the space available within such containers is not sufficient. It is well known, to place a plurality of such containers side-by-side or one on top of the other. It is possible to connect such containers. To this end, individual side walls of the containers may be removed. This procedure suffers from the disadvantage that a separate vehicle is required for the transport of each container. In some cases, for example if a mobile operating room or a mobile control center is to be established, a rather large, continuous floor area is required, which permits equipment to be installed easily accessible. Such floor areas are not provided by the dimensions of a standardized, mobile container. Often, such continuous floor areas cannot be obtained by modular combination of a plurality of separate containers. Firstly, errecting a construction with a plurality of containers requires quite some time. In addition, such construction will not yield a continuous floor surface of the desired size.
German patent 44 29 927 discloses a mobile accommodation unit in container form, which consists of a main box element and at least one secondary box element, which can be pulled out of the main box element on an open side thereof. A lifting device permits the secondary box element to be lowered, after it has been completely pulled out of the main box element, such that the floor of the secondary box element is lowered to the level of the floor of the main box element. Correspondingly, when retracting the secondary box element, the secondary box element has to be lifted to permit pushing it into the main box element.
A similar design is disclosed by German utility model 0 94 08 060.7. There, a lifting rail is provided, which can be extended from the main box element parallel to the secondary box element and permits the secondary box element to be lowered, in order to bring the floor of the secondary box element to the level of the floor of the main box element.
These prior art mobile accommodation units; suffer from the disadvantage that they are difficult to seal. In order to bring the floors to a common level, the secondary box element has to be removed completely from the main box element, and the the secondary box element has to be lowered as a whole. This results in rather large gaps between main box element and secondary box element. Such gap is difficult to seal. Such seal is, however, imperative, for example, for a sterile operation room. Furthermore, always the whole secondary box element has to be lifted or lowered. This necessitates an expensive an high-power lifting device. This is particularly true, if the secondary box element has heavy equipment such as an operating table fixedly installed therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,719,386 has an expansible caravan with a main box element and a secondary box element. The secondary box element is larger than the main box element mounted on a chassis and has no fixed floor. Thereby, the secondary box element can be pushed over the main box element, in the transport state. In the expanded state of use, the secondary box element is pulled laterally from the main box element. A floor for the secondary box element consists of two articulated halves and is folded up, in the transport state. In the state of use, the two halves are straight and close the secondary box element at the bottom.
It is an object of the invention to provide an accommodation unit in container form of the type mentioned in the beginning which permits a continuous floor level to be established after expansion of the secondary box element.
It is another object of the invention to provide an accommodation unit in container form of the type mentioned in the beginning wherein a continuous floor level can be achieved with a minimum of expenditure of equipment or power.
Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide an accommodation unit in container form of the type mentioned in the beginning which can easily be sealed.
To this end, the main box element, as means for equalizing the floor levels, has a movable floor element in addition to its basic floor element and means for lifting and lowering this movable floor element.
With such an arrangement, the secondary box element need not be lowered after being pulled out of the main box element. Rather remains the floor of the secondary box element at its floor level, which is higher because the secondary box element has to be movable into the main box element. The floor levels are equalized by appropriate lifting of the movable floor element of the main box element. There is no need, as with the prior art, to completely pull the secondary box element out of the main box element, in order to permit it to be lowered. Instead it is possible to retain the main box element-side edge of the secondary box element within the main box element. This facilitates sealing.
In order to further enlarge the floor area of the mobile accommodation unit in its expanded state, one embodiment of the invention provides a second secondary box element of smaller cross sectional area than that of the first secondary box element. In the transport state, the first secondary box element is retracted into the main box element on one side thereof through a first opening, and the second secondary box element is retracted into the first secondary box element on the opposite side through a second opening of the main box element. The first secondary box element has also a movable floor element which is vertically movable relative to a basic floor element such that the floor levels of both the main box element and of the first secondary box element can be equalized with the floor level of the second secondary box element by appropriate adjustment of the heights of the movable floor elements.
Also here, the floor level of the whole accommodation unit is determined by the highest floor level. Here, this is the floor level of the smallest, second secondary box element which has to be pushed into the first secondary box element, in the transport state. The floor levels of both the main box element and of the first secondary box element are equalized wit this highest floor level by appropriate adjustment of the respective movable floor elements.
Sealing means may be provided between the main box element and each of the secondary box elements. As already explained above, this is facilitated by the fact that main box element and secondary box element retain their relative positions in vertical and lateral direction and are only telescoped into or out of each other.
The sealing may be effected by providing seals between the edges of each lateral opening of the main box element and the secondary box element open towards the main box element along the edges of the secondary box element, such seals sealing the secondary box element in the expanded state relative to the main box element. Cooperating sealing members may be provided on the floor element or movable floor element of each secondary box element and on the movable floor element of the main box element, such sealing members providing a seal between the movable floor element of the main box element and the respective floor elements of the secondary box elements, when the movable floor element has been lifted to the level of the floor element or movable floor element, respectively, of the secondary box elements.
In another embodiment of the invention, again, a second secondary box element of smaller cross sectional area than the first secondary box element is provided. In the transport state, the first secondary box element is retracted into the main box element on one side through a first opening of the main box element, and the second secondary box element is pushed into the first secondary box element on the opposite side through a second opening in the main box element. Here, however, the first secondary box element has a floor element which can be coupled and de-coupled thereto or therefrom, respectively, and the floor level of which in its coupled state is identical with the floor level of the second secondary box element. In the transport state, the de-coupled floor element of the first secondary box element is supported by the movable floor element of the main box element. The movable floor element of the main box element is movable into a fully lowered position, into an intermediate position and into an extended or upper position. In the fully lowered position, the de-copled floor element of the first secondary box element supported thereby is positioned below the floor element of the second secondary box element. In the intermediate position of the movable floor element, the floor element of the first secondary box element is lifted to the floor level of the second secondary box element and can be coupled to the first secondary box element. In the extended or upper position, after both secondary box elements have been expanded or pulled out, the movable floor element of the main box element is lifted to the common floor level of the two secondary box elements.
The height-adjustable movable floor element of the main box element has two functions: Firstly, it forms the floor of the main box element at the same floor level as the floors of the two secondary box elements. Secondly, it serves for lowering the de-coupled floor element of the first, larger secondary box element, such that the second, smaller secondary box element can be shifted into the first secondary box element for the transport state. This permits providing the floor levels of the two secondary box elements in one plane from the beginning.
In the transport state, the secondary box elements are telescoped into the main box element. The floorelement of the first secondary box element is de-coupled therefrom and is supported by the movable floor element of the main box element, the movable floor element being in its fully lowered position. Therefore, the second secondary box element could betelescoped into the first-floor-less-secondary box element without being impeded by the floor element thereof. In order to erect the accommodation unit, at first, the second secondary box element is retracted from the central main box element. The second secondary box element determines the floor level of the accommodation unit. Then, the movable floor element of the main box element is moved by appropriate lifting means into its intermediate position. In this intermediate position, the floor element of the first secondary box element engages the lower edge of the first secondary box element. In this position, the floor level of the first secondary box element is identical with that of the second secondary box element. The floor element is coupled with the first secondary box element. The first secondary box element with the floor element coupled thereto is retracted out of the main box element. Finally, the movable floor element is moved into its extended or upper position, in which the movable floor also is at the floor level of the two secondary box elements.
With such an arrangement, only one hight-adjustable floor element needs be provided, even if two secondary box elements are used.
The coupling of the floor element with the first secondary box element can be effected in the following way: Downwards extending locking bolts having tapered tips are provided along the lower edges of the end walls of the first secondary box element and are vertically movably guided in bushings. Locking balls are retained in lateral openings of the bushings. The floor element of the first secondary box element, which is adapted to be coupled and de-coupled to the first secondary box element, has annular looking members, which have recesses in their inner wall. When the floor element is lifted to engage the first secondary box element, the locking members are shifted over the bushings and locking bolts. The locking bolts can be displaced downwards in the bushings by means of a cam structure, which extend along the lower edges of the first secondary box element. The locking balls are urged radially outwards by the locking bolts and partially extend into the recesses of the locking members. The de-coupling is effected by means of the cam structure in reverse.
The floor elements of the box elements may be guided by rollers, when they are contracted or expanded.